


Not Quite a Navigational Emergency

by transpapyrus



Series: The Holosquad Saga [1]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Picard
Genre: Anxiety, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:00:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22888849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transpapyrus/pseuds/transpapyrus
Summary: La Sirena's Emergency Medical Hologram isn't pleased about being dismissed by a passenger. Twice. Especially not when he knows something's up.**CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR EPISODE FIVE**
Series: The Holosquad Saga [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1655560
Comments: 10
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hoo boy I haven't written fic in a WHILE. Especially not Star Trek fic. But I love these two, and the ending of episode five left me craving some follow-up. This fic WILL contain heavy spoilers for Stardust City Rag, so if you're not caught up yet, please don't read ahead. Seriously, don't.

_ “Activate ENH!” _

The navigational hologram materializes in — wait, where is he? It takes a moment to realize that he’s not been summoned by his captain, nor is he on the bridge. So this isn’t a navigational emergency. Funny, he’s around far too often for a computer program designed for one  _ very _ specific task. The ENH glances around, trying to locate the source of the voice in the unknown room’s dim lighting, until he finally makes out the outline of his near-mirror image, barely a faint glow against what he’s starting to realize is a utility closet. Dark, closed-off, and if he were human, this would feel like a horror movie and he’d be the one about to be murdered.

Murder is not on the mind of his summoner, though — not yet, anyway. He can see the EMH’s face more clearly now, his usual tidy and collected outward appearance now in obvious disarray. If the ENH didn’t know better, he’d say the other looked…  _ terrified _ .

“I think something’s happened,” the EMH says in a hushed voice, and the ENH wants to ask what this could possibly have to do with him. But he doesn’t. 

“To the Captain?” he asks instead, and he almost doesn’t want to know the answer. But the EMH shakes his head, and the relief the ENH feels is nearly enough to force him to sit down.

“I don’t know how your programming works,” the EMH begins, lacing his fingers together anxiously as he paces back and forth in the small area. “But I have a self-activation protocol, where I can sense certain symptoms in people on the ship, and I will appear to them to offer assistance. I was automatically activated in sickbay a few minutes ago, and Doctor Jurati was there, with someone new. I think he’s the person Admiral Picard was looking for, the one they just brought on board…?”

“Bruce Maddox?” the ENH supplies helpfully. “The previous leading scientist in synthetic study, and—”

“Yes, him,” the EMH snaps, and the ENH immediately falls silent. He’s never heard the medical hologram raise his voice like that before. Usually quiet and docile, sometimes witty but never unkind and always with a pleasant bedside manner, he’s now acting particularly out of character. The ENH almost asks if his programming is functioning properly, but he’s cut off before he has the chance. “He was unwell, and the Doctor was experiencing symptoms of anxiety and panic. I’m not sure who exactly I was sensing, perhaps both, but when I arrived and attempted to help, she deactivated me. I could not understand why, but I always respect the wishes of my patients, even when I disapprove. Humans can be so  _ fickle _ in their feelings.”

The ENH nods a little absently. He knows that all too well, but the medical hologram’s story is starting to lose him. If this has nothing to do with the Captain, he really doesn’t understand why he’s needed.

“Anyway,” the EMH continues, more urgent than before. “A few minutes later, I came back. It was worse than before. But she sent me away again… and I just barely got a look at Maddox before she did. He wasn’t just ill, he was…” he trails off. “There aren’t words to describe what I saw.” He shakes his head, like he’s trying to focus his thoughts, concentrate. And if the ENH didn’t know better, he’d say the other hologram was experiencing feelings of panic of his own. “Now…” the words come painfully slow, and he looks up to meet the ENH’s eyes, and he suddenly understands that something very,  _ very _ bad is happening. “I don’t sense anything at all.”

They sit in silence for only a moment. It is not the job of an emergency medical hologram to be practical in anything except medical practices, and at this moment, there’s nothing to be done on that front. So despite not understanding, not being able to fully grasp the scope of what’s happening, the ENH takes it upon himself to make a decision. That’s not strictly part of his programming either, but he’s  _ smart _ . Despite not having access to the computer’s full database of information, he’s knowledgeable in everything about this ship, its Captain, and the people currently on it. Any information that can be tracked easily, he has. So among other things, he’s one of the more qualified holograms when it comes to making rational decisions. Not just ones determined by algorithms and computer code, but something just a little more  _ human _ .

“We need to go to sickbay. Now.” And so, grateful for his own programming’s override functions, the ENH grabs onto the EMH’s wrist and they both disappear.

...And re-appear, flickering into view moments later. “Where is she?” the ENH wonders aloud, anxiety creeping into his voice as he realizes Jurati is no longer there. Turning around, his gaze falls on the EMH, who is hunched over a body lying still and unmoving.

“Oh god.” He just barely can make out the choked words of the medical hologram, and he hurries to his side. The EMH doesn’t look at him. Instead he begins to frantically check for a pulse while reaching into his pockets for something, and when he doesn’t find whatever he’s looking for, abruptly rushes to the work table, pushing aside papers and tools in what  _ must _ be a search for a life-saving instrument. The ENH hovers by Maddox’s bedside, stealing a glance down at his limp form. No amount of medicine could fix this, even he knows that. The EMH returns, brushing him aside and connects something to the man’s chest. He slams a button, and Maddox’s body jerks before falling still. After a moment, again. And again. But there’s no response. “Shit,” he says, and the ENH is pretty sure this is the first time he’s heard the well-mannered medical hologram curse. “Shit, fuck, god _ DAMMIT!”  _ The cardiostimulator falls to the ground, and he instead grips Maddox by the shoulders, shaking him viciously. “Wake up!”

It’s time to intervene. The ENH grabs the other from behind, pulling him away from the table. “Come on, easy, easy, stop it now—” The EMH struggled against his hold for a moment before shaking his head and nearly going limp in the other’s arms. 

“He was  _ dying _ , he was dying and I couldn’t stop it, she sent me away and I didn’t come back, I could’ve saved him, I should have…” Voice trails off as his form flickers, threatening to deactivate. The ENH spins him around to look at him, gripping his arms tightly.

“Hey, hey, stop, don’t you go anywhere, hey.” He stares intently at the other, their eyes finally locking. “Okay. You’re okay.” He frowns. “Well actually, you’re experiencing… high levels of anxiety and…” his gaze falls back on the body lying on the table. “We need to focus.” There’s sympathy in his expression, but his voice is firm as he quickly assesses the situation. “We need to find Jurati, and the Captain. And we need to know exactly what happened here. More people might be in danger.”  _ I should’ve been a tactical hologram, I’d be quite good at it _ , he thinks, for just a moment. And then he’s all business again. “Figure out the cause of death,” he says, releasing the EMH. “I’ll track down the others.” 

As he vanishes, his last view is of the EMH simply standing next to Maddox, looking down at him with a still-stunned expression.

He opens his mouth to call out again, words of reassurance, and he’s gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, episode 6 was incredible but it did NOT deliver any of the closure on this particular subject that I was expecting... which means I could take this in any direction I wanted. So here's a small conclusion for you all.

The Captain isn’t in the mood to talk. 

“Sir, there’s something you should see,” the ENH urges, and it takes all his efforts just to get Rios to leave his room and make his way to sickbay, where the EMH will no doubt be awaiting him… hopefully with answers. 

After that, he appears on the bridge, expecting to see Jurati there. He doesn’t. Briefly clocking the strange looks he’s given from Picard and the Romulan kid, he mumbles some excuse about a “false alarm” and vanishes.

In his void, the in-between space of consciousness and physical manifestation, the ENH scans the computer’s data for the Doctor’s location. In her quarters. Okay. He briefly considers his options, and comes to the conclusion right away that there is no way he can activate in front of her and make it  _ not _ suspicious. It frustrates him to no end, but he knows there’s nothing he can do. So he simply sits, and waits.

It doesn’t take long for the tracker to alert him that sickbay is now empty, and Rios has returned to the bridge. The ENH appears, materializing next to the EMH who is standing in the same spot he left him in. A hand is placed on the other hologram’s shoulder, and he startles.

“Oh! You… surprised me, I’m sorry.” The EMH draws a white sheet up over Maddox’s face and wipes his hands on his pants — a small human tick that he’s seemed to pick up. Or maybe it’s part of his programming. “The Captain just left. I think he went to find Jurati. They’ll be back soon.”

The ENH’s expression twists into a frown. “You mean you didn’t tell him?”

“Tell him what?”

“That she was here when he died!” He gestures to the body. “That she  _ killed _ him!”

The EMH’s eyes widen to saucer size, and he makes as if to clap a hand over the other’s mouth. “Shhhh! Don’t be so loud.” Eyes narrowed nervously, he looks around as if someone might be listening. “We don’t know that’s what happened.”

“Oh come on!” he scoffs. “What else could it have been? She was here, moments before. You  _ saw _ her. You need to tell him. Now. Before something happens. What if she’s out to get everyone?”

“Don’t be so dramatic,” he says and the ENH curses quietly and turns away, running a hand over his face in thought. “I can’t say anything. What if we’re wrong? What happens then?”

“Nothing! He hates us? He already  _ hates _ us, it’s been done! There’s literally nothing in this world we could do to make him hate us more than he already does. So what’s the point? At least we might be able to save his life!” 

The pair face each other, glaring daggers across the room. They’ve never argued like this, and the ENH doesn’t like it. There’s no reason for two holograms to be fighting. At least not two who are supposed to be friends. The EMH has returned to Maddox’s side, and is staring down at him, immobile. The ENH slowly walks up behind him, just watching over his shoulder. But he can’t for the life of him figure out what’s so damn fascinating about the pristine white body-cover.

Then suddenly, they both speak at the same time.

“You okay?” the ENH asks. 

“I think I understand why the Captain always looks so empty inside,” says the EMH. “What? Oh. Yeah.”

“Oh, sorry, I — what? Oh. What? What do you mean?”

There’s a moment, before the EMH keeps speaking, where the silence feels as heavy as steel, as if the ship itself is collapsing in on itself and crushing them all. And then the spell is broken. Sort of. “You know how he talks about losing his previous Captain? What it was like to see him die right in front of him, to not be able to  _ save _ him, or do anything at all?”

“Yes…” He has a feeling he knows where this is going. 

“A man is dead, and I am an Emergency Medical Hologram, and I wasn’t there in an  _ emergency. _ I couldn’t save the life of a single person. What use am I to anyone if I can’t even do one simple task?” His voice is climbing in pitch, and it’s clear to the ENH that the other is beginning to experience severe signs of emotional stress. “I let him  _ die!  _ I could’ve stopped this and I let him die and now he’s dead and whatever the Admiral needed him for, it doesn’t even matter…” He’s hunched over, and if you didn’t know he was a hologram, you might even think he’s  _ crying _ , from the way his shoulders shake and his hands tremble, dropping to his sides and clenched in fists. “A complete failure.” His voice is barely audible. “Worthless piece of holographic garbage.” He takes a step back, more of a stumble, and his projected form starts to flicker and glitch like he’s automatically deactivating to prevent a full system shutdown. “That’s what he’ll say. Can’t even… follow programming—”

And then the ENH’s arms are around him, not attempting to drag him away from the table but just holding him, the physical contact grounding him enough for his form to stabilize. They stand there, both looking at Maddox, one hologram embracing the other tightly. The EMH continues to tremble, and his holographic form heats up rapidly, a symptom of hologenerator overload. He’s nearly unresponsive, the reaction of the holomatter to the — situation? — slowing down his processors. The ENH is speaking, but he can barely hear him, let alone understand what he’s saying. “What’s happening to me?” the EMH manages to choke out, fingers gripping the other’s arm tightly. 

The ENH steps back, letting him go, and it’s like he can breathe again, if breathing were something holograms could do. “I think your programming is… experiencing some kind of transformation. Some kind of… evolution. A reaction to the duress, I’d imagine.” Only that could explain the visceral reaction the EMH just experienced, the panic, the overwhelming emotions, the suffocating sensation. “Don’t think about what Rios will say. It  _ doesn’t matter _ . He’s wrong about you, about all of us. You’re not just an EMH. You’re a damn brilliant doctor, and you couldn’t have prevented this. Whatever happened here, it  _ isn’t _ your fault.” His hands raise to cup either side of the EMH’s face. “You are  _ not _ a failure.” The ENH’s eyes are wide, pleading, begging him to listen, to believe him. “We can’t fix what happened, but we  _ can _ keep it from happening again. The Captain doesn’t get to make our decisions for us. He doesn’t get to tell us who we can and cannot be. Do you hear me? You are  _ so much more _ . And we stick together. No matter what.”

His hands drop to his sides, and he watches the other slowly try to compose himself. After a minute, the EMH speaks, voice still low. “Thank you,” he says, and embraces the ENH in a hug, arms wound tightly around the other’s thin frame. They both relax in that moment, the EMH clinging to him like a lifeline, fingers gripping the back of his sweater tightly. “Thank you.”

The ENH lets him stay there for as long as he wants. When he finally does start to move away, he presses a kiss to the top of the EMH’s head. The EMH smiles at him, a small but grateful look, and the ENH returns it. The sound of voices outside the door pull them out of it, and for a moment, the EMH looks again like a deer caught in the headlights. The ENH gives a small nod. “Just tell them what you know,” he says. 

The door swishes open. Rios, Jurati, and Picard come rushing in. “Captain—” the ENH starts.

“Deactivate ENH,” Rios says without even turning to look at him. The two holograms’ eyes meet for just a moment. He shakes his head with a wry smile, slightly rolling his eyes, and vanishes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I've got some other stuff in the works, mostly ENH and Rios - centric, but also a Hugh and Elnor piece, so stay tuned. Comments fuel me <3

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not much of a fic writer these days because I'm usually kicking around the tumblr roleplay scene. 
> 
> There will be a chapter two, but not until episode six once we know how this situation resolves. So stay tuned!


End file.
